Severe Weather

Neighbor saves 8 toddlers from burning New Orleans home Wednesday

A neighbor rescued eight toddlers from an Uptown two-alarm fire caused by the children playing with the element, firefighters said.

The fire happened in the 2000 block of Josephine Street at 9:23 a.m.

Fire crews said a neighbor forced their way into the home and rescued eight toddlers between the ages of 3 and 5.

When crews arrived at the scene, the blaze had spread to the bedroom of the shotgun home and then to the kitchen, where the fire burst out of the windows, spreading to a nearby apartment building on Daneel Street. The neighboring house on Josephine Street was slightly damaged by the fire.

Initially, fire investigators didn’t know that children were in the home when the fire began. After interviewing witness, they learned that a neighbor had saved the children from the inferno.

All eight children were in a bedroom and one of the boys set fire to the mattress, investigators said.

The New Orleans Police Department and the Department of Children and Family Services were called to the scene to investigate the condition and take custody of the children.

The fire was under control by 9:53 a.m. and no injuries were reported.

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